General Article Night owls more likely to be depressed because they have to work against their natural body clock

Topic Selected: Depression Book Volume: 404

When you’re more of a night owl than an early lark, you have a couple of options.

Either you find a job that has flexible enough hours to work around your ideal schedule, or you push through, do the traditional 9 to 5, and wander around in a near-constant state of bleary-eyed exhaustion.

Our society is set up to match the natural sleep and wakefulness flows of early risers, who are at their most awake and productive during the daytime.

So when you’re naturally disposed to stay up late and struggle to wake up before 7am, things are tough.

And this might cause depression, suggests new research.

People whose sleep pattern goes against their natural body clock – meaning they are forced to go to bed and wake up earlier or later than they’d like – are more likely to have depression and lower levels of wellbeing, according to the study.

Researchers at the University of Exeter looked at previous research, which covered the genes linked to being an early riser or a night owl.

They then exami...

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